Early this afternoon, after much online house hunting, I found a few properties that are worth looking at. I kind of doubt we will buy any of these houses, but just finding ones good enough to go see is a positive step. Besides, it’s fun to ride around Boise and look at houses. One of them in particular might just have some potential.

I’m going to make this posting short because I need to at least try to get to sleep soon. Will be getting up earlier than usual to meet the relatives and then we will go look at the houses. After so much online searching, it felt really good to actually find some places that meet our criteria – homes with either 4 bedrooms, or homes with three bedrooms and maybe a bonus room and/or lots of square footage.. and 2.5 or 3 bathrooms.. a must.

So tmw. house hunting.. good.

Later this past afternoon, I went to the gym. Normally the one I go to half the time, the larger club, is unpleasant to go to – too many people, tons of noise, awful music.

The music was still mostly what I could hardly even call music – auto-tuned vocals and shitty dance music – but at least, unlike most workouts at this club, I did not hear the same 10 utterly awful songs…it’s astonishing what passes for music these days.. better not to think about it. Don’t want to ruin my mood.

Overall though, it was far less noisy and busy at the club. I did some cardio on the elliptical cross-country ski machine, then worked on my arms, back and chest with weight machines and some free weights.

Then, headed back to the locker room, where I changed out of my basketball shoes and into my slippers. A Mr. Rogers moment – he would always come in, singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood..” and change out of his loafers or whatever, and put on a more comfortable pair of shoes.. come to think of it, he changed into sneakers to wear in the house, and I changed into slippers, but anyway.

Why slippers?

I do poi and tai chi in the quiet aerobics/yoga room. I usually have the room to myself.

Poi moves look a lot like kung fu, but really come from a folk dance performed by the Maori people – the natives of New Zealand. But, it looks like kung fu moves – swinging strings around that are attached to little bean bags, swirling them around in intricate patterns, and doing so quickly. I started getting into poi last year. A friend in CA is a huge poi enthusiast and she got me into it.

Past 2 months since I’ve been practicing at the gym, I’ve only smacked myself in the head once, and haven’t beaned myself in the crotch at all. I’d hurt myself several times before, back in CA – poi is potentially dangerous to practice, and when my concentration wavered..yes.. big ouch!

But not today… had the best workout in quite awhile.. exercised hard enough upstairs with the machines and weights, and did quite well with the poi.

I finished the workout with tai chi. Very good stretching and breathing exercise.. tai chi and qi gong. I haven’t had any instruction since 2006, but still remember most of what I learned – just over half of the Yang style slow set – minus a few small moves, and some qi gong exercises.

Finished up at the gym, feeling good.

Headed home – traffic wasn’t too bad, and not a long drive, so I wasn’t super anxious on the road.

Played soul music on the way home – Sam and Dave, and a beautiful piece by a jazz guy whose name escapes me at the moment – he recorded an instrumental – a gospel hymn called “Come Ye Disconsolate,” played on drums, piano, organ, bass guitar, and two flutes being the lead instruments.. lovely.

At home, took a shower, then ate a good meatloaf dinner, then brought the DVD player downstairs to put on the film “The Secret Life of Bees.” Good movie. My mom and aunt had just finished the book, and I found the DVD at the library, and checked it out figuring they would like it. I liked it too – a very heavy story in parts, but worth watching.

After the movie was over, I had a rather productive mandolin practice – some of the time noodling and making up my own music.. experimenting with chords and notes.. and then working out my favorite whistle tune, which I figured out how to play on the mandolin by ear, then.. I figured out a short but beautiful intro piece that I had been playing on whistles. I found the main pattern on the mandolin for Celtic music! I’m on my way!

Played/practiced for awhile, got some more to eat, brought the DVD player back to my room (the one we had for downstairs use is broke, so we need another one – not a blu-ray, just a simple DVD player. I don’t go in for the high end tech stuff. I don’t mind old tv’s and regular DVD players.)

I then watched “The Hangover,”one of the most brilliant comedies ever, in my opinion. I decided to re-watch that one because I’ve been watching my favorite TV show “Community” on DVD, and one of the characters – Senor Chang – is played by a crazy Asian actor who has a small but unhinged and quite amusing part in “The Hangover.”

Also, the actor Bradley Cooper is in this movie. I had just seen him in “The A-Team” (which I thought would not be a good movie, but turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. I used to watch that show when I was a kid. The movie more than lived up to the old TV episodes.) Cooper was quite funny in “The A-Team.” I had previously seen him in an earlier viewing of “The Hangover,” and recently thought, damn that dude is funny – so time to re-watch “The Hangover” again.

I didn’t watch all of it though.. turned it off just over half way, because I wanted to write this blog posting, to record a good day – a day in which I felt pretty sane for quite awhile.

Good days should be recorded too.

I hope tomorrow goes well..

Now it is just before 2 am. I need to be sleeping soon. If not, oh well.. might as well try..